4 Band: Close Your Eyes
Title: Empty Hands & Heavy Hearts
Label: Victory Records
Release Date: October 25, 2011
Reviewer: Jessica Cooper
Track Listing:
- Hope Slips Away (The World Is Ours To Change)
- Empty Hands
- Erie
- Valleys
- Injustice
- Paper Thin
- Wormwood
- Keep The Lights On
- Carry You
- Wolves
- Scars
- Heavy Hearts
I cannot express how excited I am about this release. Over the summer I had multiple opportunities to attend shows that the Close Your Eyes boys have played, and been able to experience first-hand the energy that oozes from every track on this record. The sound on Empty Hands & Heavy Hearts is considerably different from their first release, We Will Overcome, and it shows from beginning to end. I got my preorder in the mail yesterday, and have since listened to the album more times than I can count on fingers and toes. One thing I can definitely say is that these guys have done a great job in maintaining the elements of melodic hardcore and pop punk that has musically defined and shaped the band’s message of hope and love since the start.
This release has shown their improvement and growth, and has also modified and magnified the high-energy status that Close Your Eyes has achieved in the music industry. The music is faster and more raw, but cleaner at the same time. I’ve heard people say that the band sounds like Comeback Kid and Stick To Your Guns had a baby. That makes total sense, especially when you consider how much the tempo has increased in comparison to their last album.
A couple weeks ago, I went to a show CYE played at Remmington’s in Springfield, MO, and had a chance afterwards to stand in on a conversation front-man Shane was having with a couple of members from bands that opened that night. One of the guys asked him the general “What was your inspiration for writing the songs?” and his response blew me away. I won’t quote him, because I can’t remember his exact words, but basically he said that there is a lot of injustice in society, and that if people would treat others with dignity and respect, the problem would likely be less evident.
That whole idea is undeniably supported by the lyrics on at least half of the tracks. Without a doubt, the most appealing aspect of Close Your Eyes’ music, to me, is the lyrics, because every song has one line that serves as a battle cry, and that is what keeps me coming back for more. Plus, who doesn’t love a good gang vocal?
Tracks like “Hope Slips Away (The World Is Ours To Change)” and “Injustice” challenge listeners to take a stand in shaping the future of a generation that has a reputation for sitting idly by:
“We’re standing on the brink, and I for one will not stand and watch as our hope slips away. When will we stand and say enough is enough? Open your eyes and take a stand instead of giving up.” - from “Hope Slips Away”
“This hate is not my home, never again, not anymore. This hate is not my home. I will speak out against your injustice; I will be the change.” – from “Injustice”
The back-to-back tracks “Erie” and “Valleys” are both hard-hitting descriptions of finding identity. “Erie” shows the loss of security and hope in the midst of struggle, and “Valleys” brings that sense of security and hope back into these dark places we all experience:
“The isolation kills me. I can feel these walls closing in; the embers in my heart are dying. I can’t keep them lit. I felt so empty, I couldn’t help but run. What good could I do, with all the damage I have done?” – from “Erie”
“And even amidst the struggle of finding the man that you have called me to be, your love reminds me that though I am broken, I am still standing; I am still screaming.” – from “Valleys”
Overall: Every single word on this album gives me chills. From beginning to end, the music and lyrics provide an illustration of the human struggle between light and dark, between hope and brokenness, and between peace and discontentment. The energy never stops. The message clings to your heart and sticks in your mind all the way through, and even after you listen to the album. This band remains consistent in their creativity and ingenuity, both lyrically and musically. If you’re a lover of words and solid, energetic music, get your butt out to Hastings, Hot Topic, or FYE and buy this album, and pay homage to a band that really represents and exudes the message it proclaims.
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I think the true joy in writing comes from accepting the fact that you won't always be asked to write about things you love or are interested in. While I realize the world has turned the phrase "I love Jesus" into something that holds no substance, trust me when I say I do love Jesus. He absolutely is everything I need in life, and I wouldn't be who I am today without Him. He's given me a passion for writing and for music; and what a wonderful combination for this incredible opportunity I've been blessed with to help the IVM team. 
| Phil metalhed, 17 mins ago.
Music Inspired By: The Story 
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Heath McNease
Truly, Truly
Creations
Manafest
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Brave Season
IVM Presents: Oh Sleeper (Video Interview)
Young London
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Comrades
Twin Radio
Close Your Eyes
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Great review Jessica! I agree 100%. I haven’t been able to get Valleys out of my head since the day the single was released! XD
Me either! I was listening to it on my way to school today and started crying. Haha. So good! Thanks!
wonderful review!
completely agree
IMO 7/10 – Good.
I have not stopped listening to this for the past three days. So. Good.
I. KNOW.
FOR. REALS.
Lol i agree that this album rocks in every way possible, but i’m laughing cause Shane said in an interview that Erie was about Erie, Pennsylvania, and how much he hated it there. Give Shane credit for writing about something super specific and giving it deeper meaning
Not a bad album, but so far not what I’d hoped for. I miss the stand out moments the first album had, like “this is my worship…”. Hopefully with more spins it’ll grow on me a little more. Still a decent album though.
Give it a few more spins. It took me a while to get used to just because of how different the sound is. :)
Dude they are still there IMO! They have genius lines in this album! Actually more so than the last. Tracks 8-10 feel like a mini concept about standing firm in faith even when we don’t see what is ahead of us. This album is genius!
I am so excited for this one!! Thanks, Jessica!!
Basically a flawless album! They have really stepped up and matured their sound. The harder parts are WAYYYYYY heavier, and the softer parts (the few that are heard) are more “beautiful.” The vocal production is really cool sounding, and the music is insanely good! I am glad they have veered more into the punk hardcore route for this album. I am really digging the Comeback Kid feel, but with more “clean” (no I don’t mean language haha) parts.
I would go so far as saying this is a 10?! There haven’t been many this year and I only see one more in the future of 2011 (A Hope for Home’s In Abstraction).
i didn’t think they could top the last album. boy was i wrong. this album is beautiful. i can’t stop listening to it. cant wait to hear these songs live.
I listened to this all the way through and I must say that it is turning out to be an instant favorite of mine. It has all the qualities I enjoy about Melodic Punk and Hardcore and fuses them perfectly together, much the same way Comeback Kid did in the beginning (“Wake the Dead” for instance). The production is top notch, the singing parts are great, and from what I can tell, the lyrics are spot on. This is the best “heavy/punk” Victory release to come out since Comeback Kid “Wake the Dead” back in 05′. I even dig the artwork. Thank you Victory for releasing an album that will hopefully set the standard for bands to come.
PS, Cameron Webb produced this and he has produced some of my favorite “punk” albums over the years, Ignite, Social Distortion, Pennywise, Sum 41, Alkaline Trio, Over It, The Warriors, Silverstein, and more. I love the vibe on this album.
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/cameron-webb-p352219/credits
That Warriors album is one of my favourites. SO GOOD.
Nice review. From what I read it sounds like I’d love the music. Do they have any outspoken lyrics about Jesus though? I assumed they are christian but looking at the quoted lyrics it seems as if the lyrics were – although undenyably good – a bit “general” if you know what I mean…?
They are definitely outspoken about their Faith.
I can do without the clean singing. It just sounds like when he does cleans that it hurts. And there are a couple parts he is pitchy on. Everything else is fine.
It is pitchy a bit on some songs but then again punk rock is not typically a genre known for good singers. Take Social Distortion or even the band Nothington for instance. I think if you had a guy like Josh Groban singing punk songs it would just be weird ;)
I got you… But there is a way to sound gritty but at least keep pitch. I think what bugs me more is he sounds a lot like Rise Against hahaha.
I however do love the screams.
The funny thing is that I think the last album had even more singing haha! I think his singing style is super unique IMO. I like it either way :)
But I get that he did change his cleans a little. I just think it was for the better, but its cool to agree to disagree haha!
@ Mitch: Shane and Brett are apparently huge rise against fans
I get the Rise Against meets Dogwood meets Comeback Kid meets A Day to Remember type vibe in these songs. That is not a bad thing at all :)
meets Ignite…
YESSSSSS BRIAN! Mention of Ignite for the win!
Meets Bane!
No standout moments?
Give Paper Thin another spin. That song is so original.
Dude I think the album in general is standout haha! And for all the naysayers (not you of course) what about Wolves?! “I’M SO AFRAID OF THE DARK! I’M SO AFRAID OF THE DARK!” Every song is genius!
Jessica C,
So basicaly wat yur sayin is that its beta than ther debut, and thats a gud thing, lol. I wil def chek it out asap+ let u know wat i think, cuz a 9 seems a lil hi.
I would give it a 9 too, Phil. For their particular genre, I really do think they shine.
Once you hear it Phil you will see! Its NOTHING really like the last album. They have really honed the punk hardcore sound of CBK and made it their own. The lyrics are super inspiring too. I really didn’t think I was gonna like it this much cause their debut was just okay for me, but this album is really quite phenomenal. I would give it a 10, but I am generous haha!
Listen to the whole thing, but pay attention to the really standout tracks: Paper Thin, Carry You, Wolves, Empty Hands…plus 8 others :)
I ordered it 2day from victory. But hopefuly its worth the hype. Thanx 4 the input+ i wil post again afta i listen, lol.
Yep, 9 in my book also.
I would give it a high 7 or an 8. Probably an 8. I listened to it on Spotify and will probably go buy it eventually. There are definitely some really good songs on it for sure.
Finaly gave this album a listen. I rated it an 8, but its def an improvement from ther debut ful length just ova a year ago. The growth is noticeable. Def worth the hype+ i can c y sum of yal wud giv it a 9. Txhxc reprazent!! (even tho real texans dont consida north tx a part of our state, lol)
Can’t wait to give it a listen! Are there still some screamo tracks like “Song for the Broken?” I love the punk but I need to get my fix of post-hardcore haha.
No the “screamoish” ADTR sound is TOTALLY gone! Their is a post-hardcorish song (track 7, Wormwood) but still has more of like a Broadcasting… era CBK than post hardcore.
This album is more along the lines of like OLD (I mean like nothing past the 2nd album) Rise Against and ALL formations of CBK!
And a friendly FYI, screamo and post-hardcore are not remotely the same! Screamo tends to be a lot more generic than post-hardcore. But all good dude!
I can’t wait to get this cd and see what it sounds like. I hoping maybe Wal Mart would have it for like 10.00 I will have to wait and see.
Best Buy and Hot Topic has it for 10 bucks, so there’s no hoping and risking a wasted trip if you head to one of those 2 stores :)
The problem is evan sometimes are Best Buy especially here in around the Springfield OH area does not carry them sometimes.
you can go on Best Buy’s website and do a store search. Like type in the CD name than click check in stores, enter your area code and it will tell you.
But ya, Best Buy sucks now haha! Even in San Diego, they carry NOTHING!
I can’t wait to get this. I loved just about every second of the first cd.
Awww I kinda miss the ADTR sound but I’m sure it’ll still be awesome. And I thought screamo and post-hardcore were virtually the same? Guess I need to brush up on my musical terminology and definitions haha.
HAHA all good dude. People tend to clump them together, but screamo is like Hawthorne Heights, whereas posthardcore is like Birth.Eater era Oceana, there are better definitions, i am still waking up haha!)
Or, screamo is the stupid scene kid way of defining all music that screams :P bugs me to no end
Yes Chandler hahaha! That’s a great way of putting it. Scream is a “clumper” genre that clumps all music with screaming together… bugs me too! Especially cause great bands like A Hope For Home, CBK, La Dispute, and It Prevails get clumped with crap bands like A Skylit Drive, Attack Attack!, etc…
I got the cd today evan I would probably give out of ten skulls a 9 out of 10 as well. The songs are amazing of course I got it at Hot Topic for 9.99 thank you Jesus.
Sweet, glad they had it!!! And glad you enjoy it!!!
This album is one of my favorite of 2011!
Not my cup of tea. Teeters close to being aggressive enough, then gets lost in whininess like 99.98% of today’s “heavy” music. Glad I didn’t purchase it.
Album of the year, in my opinion, is safely between Shai Linne’s “The Attributes of God” releasing this week and Creations’ “The Gospel”.
You can order Shai Linne’s CD from http://www.lampmode.com
Listen to clips:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Attributes-of-God/dp/B005VDB3CU/ref=sr_shvl_album_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1319257769&sr=301-4
This made me LOL.
Not only is this CD NOT whiny like “99.98%” of today’s “”heavy”" music, it’s also a completely different genre than one of the artists he followed up his post with. Not only that, but as much as I love creations, it’s felt pretty generic and pales in comparison to Empty Hands and Heavy Hearts.
Don’t get me wrong, I support all of these artistis… but Close Your Eyes has definitely released something special.
I like how every time Chris posts it is a plug for Shai Linne. I mean, man, Shai Linne is great, but still.
Today’s punk and hardcore exhibit many complex emotions but the attitude is ultimately anger or pain. Rarely is the attitude one of fun. Whenever you mix anguished vocals with the angry ones, the triumphant or aggressive mood of the song is compromised for me. You don’t have to sound effeminate to be whining.
Lyrics aside, of course I’m going to prefer Creations because I can feel like either headbanging OR crying, but rarely both.
As for Shai Linne, I don’t see IVM covering this and – yes – the beats, concept and flows make “The Attributes of God” a game-changer. I’m surprised more people aren’t spamming and trolling to make sure more people hear such a confrontational, bold, SCRIPTURAL powder keg.
I would love to know where the anger and pain is on this album. Actually, I’d love to know where you head effeminate or whining vocals too. I didn’t get that vibe at all.
Are you sure you listened to the whole thing? And the right album? I don’t hear it.
Most of the songs, at least for me, had a fast happy vibe to them. Sure, some of the lyrics are raw and real, but in the same song there’s always an encouragement. That’s one of the reasons why I really like this band…the lyrics aren’t head-in-the-clouds-happy-all-the-time Christian, but there’s always uplifting parts…they don’t wallow in just the raw parts.
And, with this album, I was REALLY impressed with the vocal delivery…they just sound soooooo good. Not whiny…at all. I definitely need to buy this soon real soon.
Dan, I agree. I am still convinced Chris didn’t listen to the same album.
I plan on writing a review of Shai Linne’s new album Chris. Give me a couple weeks. I will say that it’s his weakest effort with Storiez still being the best. My opinion might change though the more I listen to it.
I actually look forward to reading that Jeremiah. I just discovered Shai Linne a couple weeks ago via rapzilla. I’ve only listened to Attributes of God and Solus Christus Project so far, but I think I like the new one the best so far. I haven’t listened to Storiez or the Atonement yet. From the sound of it, I need to give Storiez a spin.
So far I’ve only listened to it once and my first impressions are mixed. His delivery just seems forced on this new album. Also some of his rhyme verses are exactly the same or similar to stuff on his previous 3 albums. I didn’t notice it once or twice, but like 6 or 7 times, maybe more. Also Timothy Brindle seemed to recycle some of his past verses in his rhymes as a guest and on the bonus song he did exclusively by himself. I wouldn’t have noticed the recycled rhyme verses if I had only listened to this one album and no prior Shai Linne or Timothy Brindle albums. Don’t get me wrong though, the album so far is good to my ears but it hasn’t blown me away like Solus Christus and Storiez did. I have to give this many more repeated listens before I come up with a final verdict. :)
I keep replying to you silentthunder by it’s too lengthy I guess so it’s sending my comment to the spam filter. lol. Maybe Brandon will approve it. I don’t feel like trying to type it again in shorter form.
btw. Storiez is one of the best hip-hop albums of all time in my book.
Haha it’s all good! And yeah, I’ll give it a spin. Thanks!
I have heard the whole CD. Maybe you didn’t read my whole comment.
I said whiny vocals don’t have to be effeminate. The ones on this album are like those of Shinedown, the Classic Crime or My Chemical Romance.
And to the reviewer of “Attributes”, “forced”? The word you are looking for is “fierce”.
Great review, this band has improved a whole lot and this album is an awesome piece of work. I’ve listened to it 10 times already and I hope this album gets a great amount of credit because bands like CYE don’t get a lot of credit these days. I wanna see these guys live, hope they come to Philly!
Just a heads-up guys, Brandon shut down the comments wall on my Blindside review because everyone stopped talking about the review and the album itself and were arguing about other bands and about how they were offended by each others’ comments. Soooo…now’s a good time to stop while you’re ahead. ;) But, I’m really digging the substantial amount of feedback this is getting!
Sadly enough, that’s not unusual around here lol
I will have to check this out. Our drummer loves these dudes so I’m sure he’s all up on this already!
So I bought this album on sunday and have been spinning this and the new Shai Linne. This album is pretty good as a whole. I definitely like the punk mixed with the melodic hardcore. Has a nice mix between singing and harsh vocals as well.
Just got this cd today. Its really good. Way better than their last attempt. Although thats where I grew to love CYE anyways. Just an f.y.i. CYE is way better than ADTR, the overall tone gives you something more. I have listened to ADTR and I just don’t the hype on those dudes.
I’m objectively impressed with it. Meaning, it was so so hard to keep the fangirl out of this review, haha. It’s really freaking good!
Soooooooo good. One of the greatest bands ever IMO, listen to an interview with Shane, and you will love them even more, they really show their love everywhere they go and talk.
…And they have a goofy sense of humor like me, which is great. :D